Doll's House

A detailed Summary of Doll's House

Interchangeable Roles of Nora and Helmer in A Doll House

In Ibsen's play A Doll House, Nora is personified as a helpless child in need of her husband's protection. She eats macaroons, which she hides from her husband because her husband forbids her candy. This gives her the image of the mischievous child hiding her candy from the adult (Helmer). She hums as if she has no care in the world, as innocent as a young child, while her husband works in his study.

With this aura of innocence, Nora is also generous to a fault. She gives the delivery boy twice what she owes him as a tip, but her husband takes this sign of generosity as Nora being a spendthrift. Helmer views Nora as a child to be protected and guided through everything she does. He calls her "lark" and "squirrel," pet names to diminish her importance as an individual and to impose his superiority as a man. He views his wife as a possession as well as an object to beautify his home. Her intellectual immaturity stems from her sheltered life and so she views life from an unrealistic point of view. Nora's troubles stem from a hidden financial hardship and so money becomes the central focus for her happiness.

Money is very important in this household and Nora's o

Clearly Nora is immature at this stage, she thinks that Helmer's new job will bring her financial security and all the material comforts that she craves for. Since her sole purpose is to keep house for her husband she must have beautiful things in her home so it will reflect well upon her husband. When Krogstad confronts Nora with the reality of her fraud she shows how ignorant she is of the real world. She comments, "A wife hasn't a right to save her husband's life? I don't know much about laws, but I'm sure that somewhere in the books these things are allowed. And you don't know anything about it-you who practice law? You must be an awful lawyer, Mr. Krogstad. (l.415) Nora actually thinks that her forging her father's signature in a loan is justifiable because it was not for criminal purposes.

Nora becomes strong in her belief that she has led a shallow life and although Helmer forgives her when he finds out that his reputation is saved, she does not rejoice in his forgiveness. Helmer is relieved that his honor is intact and believes that his life will be as serene as it used to be. However Nora sees through him now and will not let him bind her into his idealistic image of a doll wife. No longer will she believe in his protection or rely on others to shelter her. Just like Nora used to live in an unrealistic world of her own, so does Helmer now by believing that everything can go back to normal. Nora refuses Helmer's help in educating her about the real world because he has proved himself a poor teacher through out all their years of marriage. Knowing that they can never have an equal marriage Nora decides to leave her home and children to find herself in the real world. Helmer's pleas for Nora not to leave him are useless in the wake of her new understanding of life. Helmer who was once the strong male figure is left weakened in spirit as well as in his masculinity by Nora's act of rebellion towards her place in life. Just as Nora is made stronger by the possibilities of self-knowledge and finding her self worth in the world,

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1389
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English